Federal agents fanned out across five states to arrest defendants accused of bilking the Medicare system out of more than $251 million through false claims for services that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Among those charged, officials said, are doctors and health-care company owners and executives. Thirty-six of the defendants had been arrested as of Friday afternoon.

In one alleged $70 million scheme operated out of a New York clinic, more than 1,000 cash kickbacks were paid to Medicare beneficiaries out of a designated "kickback room," Lanny A. Breuer, assistant attorney general for Justice's criminal division, said at a news conference. An undercover investigation showed that beneficiaries lined up to receive illegal payments near a sign showing a woman with her finger to her lips warning in Russian, "Don't Gossip," Breuer said.

The arrests came as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held the first in a series of regional "summits" on health-carefraudprevention in Miami. The high-level attention marked the latest step in crackdown on fraud that the Obama administration has said is a key part of its agenda on health-care reform."

Federal agents fanned out across five states to arrest defendants accused of bilking the Medicare system out of more than $251 million through false claims for services that were medically unnecessary or never provided. Among those charged, officials said, are doctors and health-care company owners and executives. Thirty-six of the defendants had been arrested as of Friday afternoon.

In one alleged $70 million scheme operated out of a New York clinic, more than 1,000 cash kickbacks were paid to Medicare beneficiaries out of a designated "kickback room," Lanny A. Breuer, assistant attorney general for Justice's criminal division, said at a news conference. An undercover investigation showed that beneficiaries lined up to receive illegal payments near a sign showing a woman with her finger to her lips warning in Russian, "Don't Gossip," Breuer said.

The arrests came as Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held the first in a series of regional "summits" on health-carefraudprevention in Miami. The high-level attention marked the latest step in crackdown on fraud that the Obama administration has said is a key part of its agenda on health-care reform."

Tip of the iceberg.
Private insurance, especially health insurance,is rampant with fraud. I know, it keeps me busy.
Insurance is the worst way to run health care. I do not like government either but the current system we have is 50% waste and fraud.

Tip of the iceberg.
Private insurance, especially health insurance,is rampant with fraud. I know, it keeps me busy.
Insurance is the worst way to run health care. I do not like government either but the current system we have is 50% waste and fraud.

Click to expand...

No DOUBT!!!!!!​

"Back in 2003, when the so-called Medicare Modernization Act was being debated in Congress, we warned that this latest round of Medicare privatization contained severe flaws that would hurt consumers and taxpayers while lining the pockets of special interests. With nearly two years of hindsight, we can safely say we were right: The MMA has been a major disappointment for consumers and taxpayers, but a windfall for private insurance and drug companies.

*Under the MMA, Congress set aside $10 billion for an unnecessary subsidy (or "stabilization fund") to regional PPOs. This year, however, 88% of beneficiaries have access to a regional PPO, before the so-called "stabilization fund" was even tapped--no subsidy was necessary.

*Medicare Part D drug prices are substantially higher than the prices obtained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which negotiates prices on behalf of consumers. For all of the top 20 drugs prescribed to seniors, the lowest price charged by any Part D plan was higher than the lowest price secured by the VA. Yet Congress refused to let Medicare negotiate directly with the drug companies, as the VA does.

*Bottom line: this report shows that, unfortunately for consumers and taxpayers, the MMA has not even come close to meeting the high expectations set for it by Congress. Consumers are getting hurt and taxpayers fleeced, while insurance companies and drug manufacturers are raking in money faster than they can count it. Congress needs to move away from this deeply flawed privatization model, and instead focus on strengthening Medicare.

BTW the fraud cases in this medical case had been hard to catch UNTIL Obama had the records system revamped and mondernized. This prosicution was possible because of the lag time between crime and recording were so short. Now they can track it as it happens.

Sorry Dudes , dont have a coronary but you have to thank the Obama admin for this bust.

Hey.......heres the poop.........the longer Holder is in office as AG the better. Its politics 101 if you are a conservative. Just will be more fodder going for independents that this White House is a radical anti-American, anti-tradition regime.

We'll see how well embracing The New Black Panther group goes over with ordinary Americans!!!

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